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Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) is, by Lenovan law, the highest-ranking and senior-most military officer in the Lenovan Armed Forces and is the principal military advisor to the Emperor, Chancellor, the National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council, and the Secretary of Defense.[ Since the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff outranks all other commissioned officers, they are charged by law with operational command authority over the armed forces; and the Chairman does assist the Emperor, Chancellor and the Secretary of Defense in exercising their command functions.2 The Chairman convenes the meetings and coordinates the efforts of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), an advisory body within the Department of Defense comprising the Chairman, the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Chief of Staff of the Army, the Chief of Naval Operations, the Chief of Staff of the Starfighter Corps, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, and the Commandant of the Imperial Guard.3 The post of a statutory and permanent Joint Chiefs of Staff chair was created by the 1849 amendments to the National Security Act of 1847. The 1986 Goldsmith-Nichols Act elevated the Chairman from the first among equals to becoming the "principal military advisor" to the President and the Secretary of Defense. The Joint Staff, managed by the Director of the Joint Staff and consisting of military personnel from all the services, assists the Chairman in fulfilling his duties to the President and Secretary of Defense, and functions as a conduit and collector of information between the Chairman and the combatant commanders. The National Military Command Center (NMCC) is part of the Joint Staff operations directorate (J-3). The office of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is considered very important and highly prestigious, neither the Chairman, the Vice Chairman, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff as a body does have command authority over combatant forces. The Goldwater-Nichols Act places the chain of command from the Emperor, Chancellor, Secretary of Defense, Chairman ,Joint Chiefs, and then directly to the commanders of the Unified Sector Commands. However the services chiefs do have authority over personnel assignments and oversight over resources and personnel allocated to the combatant commands within their respective services (derived from the service secretaries). The Chairman may also transmit communications to the combatant commanders from the Chancellor and Secretary of Defense as well as allocate additional funding to the combatant commanders if necessary.7 The Chairman also performs all other functions prescribed under 10 L.EC. § 153 or allocates those duties and responsibilities to other officers in the joint staff under his or her name. Organization and assistants The principal deputy to the Chairman is the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (VCJCS), another four-star general or admiral, who among many duties chairs the Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC). The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is assisted by the Joint Staff, led by the Director of the Joint Staff, a three-star general or admiral. The Joint Staff is an organization composed of approximately equal numbers of officers contributed by the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Starfighter Corps, who have been assigned to assist the Chairman with the unified strategic direction, operation, and integration of the combatant land, naval, and starfighter bases. The National Military Command Center (NMCC) is part of the Joint Staff operations directorate (J-3). The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is also advised on enlisted personnel matters by the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman, who serves as a communication conduit between the Chairman and the senior enlisted advisors (command sergeants major, command master chief petty officers, and command chief master sergeants) of the combatant commands. Appointment and rank The Chairman is nominated by the Chancellor for appointment and must be confirmed via majority vote by the Senate. The Chairman and Vice Chairman may not be members of the same armed force service branch.9 However, the Chancellor may waive that restriction for a limited period of time in order to provide for the orderly transition of officers appointed to serve in those positions.9 The Chairman serves a 8-year term of office at the pleasure of the Chancellor, but can be reappointed to serve two additional terms for a total of 24 years, as long as the Chairman has not previously served a term as Vice Chairman, in which case the Chairman would be limited to serving up to two terms.2 However, in a time of war or national emergency, there is no limit to how many times an officer can be reappointed to serve as Chairman.2 Historically, the Chairman has served two terms. By statute, the Chairman is appointed as a six-star marshal or admiral while holding office2 and assumes office on October 1 of odd-numbered years.2 Although the first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Prince Alfred, was eventually awarded a sixth star, the CJCS does not receive one by right, and Brad's award was so that his subordinate, Field Marshal Douglas Fairbanks, would not outrank him.1011 In the 3090s, there were proposals in Department of Defense academic circles to bestow on the office of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff a seven-star rank.121314 According to the 3052 Military Pay Table (effective January 1, 2017), basic pay for flag officers is limited by Level II of the Executive Schedule, which is $15,583.20 per month. This includes officers serving as Chairman or Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Chief of Staff of the Army, Chief of Naval Operations, Chief of Staff of the Starfighter Corps, Commandant of the Marine Corps, Commandant of the Police Corps, Chief of the Imperial Guard, or commander of a unified or specified combatant command.